Lovebirds in a Cage
by LunaSeasMoonChild
Summary: A lovebird does not mind being caged if it is with its beloved. [NejiHina]
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO NOR THE SONG SNIPPETS USED AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH CHAPTER, ENTITLED "Green Finch and Linnet Bird" FROM SWEENEY TODD.**

_**Author's notes:**_ The title of the song featured in this fic is called "Green Finch and Linnet Bird", sung by Jayne Wisener, featured in _Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street_. I thought it very apt for NejiHina as a themesong. A dedication to my NejiHina feels because Neji has been killed off. ~,~

**[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[ }{ ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]**

_Green finch and linnet bird, nightingale, blackbird,_

_How is it you sing?_

_How can you jubilate sitting in cages_

_never taking wing?_

**[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[ }{ ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]**

When Hanabi turns fifteen, the Council decides to finally bring up the issue of ascension: who between Hiashi's daughters will succeed him?

Up until now, Hanabi's forehead remains clear, unblemished. Hinata's as well.

Hyuuga law dictates that cannot be for long.

Hiashi may be the Head, but he is no dictator. He is not an emperor over the Hyuuga. The Council also has power over the clan affairs, perhaps even more so than him.

In the end, despite Hiashi's lobbying for his eldest daughter, Hanabi is chosen as Hiashi's heir, and Hinata is to be branded with the seal as soon as possible.

Hiashi had hoped that by having Hinata as the head, then Hanabi would remain unsealed under her eldest sister's rule, that Hinata would be the one to overthrow the mandate of the caged bird seal upon the Branch family.

So as Hiashi had failed in sparing his eldest daughter from the fate of the Branch family, he then resolved to do the only thing he could do to help her: he betrothed her to Neji.

He met Neji in secret, when Hinata was away on a mission. With his forehead touching the wooden slates of the floor, he begged Neji to continue to protect his daughter, since her own father had failed to do so.

So when Hinata, upon returning from her mission, was informed that she would be branded after her wedding to her elder cousin, she protested the arranged marriage.

"I will not fight you on your decision to brand me, but please, spare Neji-niisan," Hinata beseeched the council and her father, who could not look at her, the guilt upon his countenance as apparent as the lines of aging on his face. "Neji-niisan shouldn't have to bear me as a burden."

Hiashi took a deep breath before he lifted his head to gaze upon his eldest daughter. "It has been decided upon, and there is no changing it now."

"But, Father—"

"I will not hear anymore objections regarding your betrothal, Hinata. It is final." Hiashi then turned to his nephew, who was seated next to Hinata. "What do you have to say about the matter of your engagement to my daughter, Neji?"

Neji tilted his head in reverence to the clan leader. "It is an honor, Hiashi-sama." He then lifted his eyes to show his resolve to his uncle. "I will protect her with my life, and provide her with everything she shall need and want. The responsibility that comes with being Hinata-sama's husband is one that I will gladly take upon me."

Hiashi nodded. "I shall hold you to your oath, Neji. Both of you are now dismissed."

They both bowed their foreheads to the floor before exiting the council chambers of the Hyuuga clan. The two silently walked side by side, Hinata with her head bowed low in apprehension, hands fidgeting, and Neji bearing a strong and confident gait, as was typical of him.

When they reached the privacy of the courtyard, Hinata finally broke the silence when she stopped in her steps, making Neji pause as well to look back at what was keeping Hinata behind.

"Neji-niisan!" Hinata's pale orbs were wrought with confusion and fear. "Why are you so resigned to the decision of the elders? You don't deserve to be tied down by me again," She looked down, ashamed. "I-I'm so sorry, Niisan. I can't apologize enough. You…. you deserve the freedom to marry the one you love the most, the one you wish to spend your life with."

Hinata's tears fell from her pearlescent eyes. Slowly, cautiously, Neji lifted his fingers to her damp cheeks and wiped away her tears. The tender gesture of comfort made Hinata look up with surprise to Neji. No more tears rolled down her cheeks, but her chin was still quivering. With his hand, Neji gently and lovingly cradled Hinata's cheek, tendrils of hair slipping though his fingers.

"This is a fate I do not mind," He then slowly lifted his hand to tuck Hinata's indigo tresses behind her ear, and tenderly placed his hand on her cheek. "For I have been handed a fate which will entwine me to my beloved." His free hand also came up so both his hands cradled her face. "_You_ are the one I love the most, the one I wish to spend my life with."

With that admission, Neji leaned down to press his lips upon Hinata's, in what would be their first kiss.

That is why, when Hinata walks down the aisle in her extravagant white kimono, her steps are sure and unwavering as she approaches Neji. She has no hesitation when she puts her hand in Neji's large, warm ones, as they face the Hokage who presides over the wedding ceremony. And when they must share their kiss as husband and wife, Neji's lips upon hers are already a familiar sensation for Hinata.

**[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[ }{ ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]**

_**A/n:**_ I originally planned this to be a one-shot, but then I realized that the length of the fic was a stretching longer than I had originally planned. So I decided to cut the one-shot into several short chapters. ^_^

Btw, I am looking for someone who can make a cover image for this fic. If anyone is interested in making a cover image for this pic, please PM me or review to tell me. Thank you! ^_^


	2. Chapter 2

**[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[ ~ }{ ~ ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]**

_Outside the sky waits, beckoning! Beckoning!_

_Just beyond the bars..._

_How can you remain staring at the rain_

_maddened by the stars?_

_How is it you sing, anything?_

_How is it you sing?_

**[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[ ~ }{ ~ ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]**

A few days after Neji and Hinata's wedding, Hinata is summoned by the council to a chamber where the sealing ceremony is performed. For the first time, Neji's eyes are worried, fearful. But Hinata smiles, cups his face with her delicate hands, and kisses him for reassurance. When they pull away and open their eyes, the turmoil in Neji's eyes did not disappear, but it has dissipated to quite a degree. He hesitantly let go of her hands when she was led away from him.

The council did not deem Hiashi to be emotionally and psychologically fit to bestow the cursed mark on Hinata, so they had commissioned Hanabi to do it, in preparation for her role as the next head of the clan. Her first sealing ceremony.

The council had not counted on Hanabi faltering in this duty.

Now, what the elders were not privy to, was the sisters' relationship. They did not know the two shared a close bond, spurred on by Hinata treating her sister's wounds after coming home from missions, which led to late night talks about anything and everything about their everyday lives outside the clan. They weren't able to spend time outside the house due to their busy schedules consisting of missions and training, with their company consisting mostly of their teammates or peers. As was typical of siblings, they spent their time away from home mostly with other people, and not each other. But when the two sisters were home, they would be together, eating dango and having tea while sharing the latest news about themselves. Hanabi, who had not known their mother, had become attached to her elder sister, the closest to a mother figure that the younger Hyuuga had always wanted.

Hanabi's hands were shaking that day. She hadn't known that she would be sealing her sister. She hadn't known that her sister would be branded, and by her nonetheless. Hanabi had assumed— firmly believed—that Hinata would never be cursed with the seal.

After the elders had briefed Hinata of what the seal was for and what she was to expect, as was the routine, Hanabi did not raise her hands to begin the hand seals, which confused the elders. They prompted the heiress, but she still would not lift her hands.

In the end, it was not the elders but Hinata herself who managed to coax Hanabi in doing her duty. Hinata placed her hands upon Hanabi's shoulders, making her look into her elder sister's gentle, forgiving eyes.

"It's alright, Hanabi," Hinata said. "I will not begrudge you for this." Her hands slipped down Hanabi's arms as she knelt in front of her younger sister. Hinata squeezed her sister's hands to reassure her, before letting go. "Do not be afraid, Hanabi. I am not afraid. This will not break me." Closing her eyes and holding her clasped hands to her chest, Hinata was in a position of supplication.

"I-I'm sorry, Neesan, I'm so sorry," Hanabi's voice cracked as she raised her quivering fingers in preparation for the sealing.

Neji anxiously paces in the corridor as he waits for the sealing ceremony to be over. A while later, the high-pitched scream of agony grips his heart, but he knows he could not go to her side. Not yet.

When Neji hears the sliding doors open, he immediately bolts towards the room, forgetting his rudeness to the elders for not acknowledging them upon passing them. Neji takes Hinata in his arms; she is limp and unconscious from the sealing. He was so worried for her state that he did not notice his younger cousin, his sister-in-law, still in the room that had been vacated earlier by the elders.

Neji would not see the seemingly troubled and guilt-ridden eyes of Hanabi. If he had, he would have been struck at gazing at a reflection of his eyes after being defeated by Naruto in the second round of the chuunin exams.


	3. Chapter 3

**[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[ ~ }{ ~ ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]**

_Whence comes this melody constantly flowing?_

_Is it rejoicing or merely halloing?_

_Are you discussing or fussing_

_Or simply dreaming?_

_Are you crowing?_

_Are you screaming?_

**[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[ ~ }{ ~ ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]**

When Hinata awakens, both of her hands are held by two different pairs of hands. Her left is held by her husband, while her right is encased by her little sister's slender ones, Hanabi's forehead pressed at the back of her elder sister's hand.

Neji's face instantly occupies Hinata's sight, the back of his fingers lightly brushing her cheek. He lets out a breath of relief as he smiles. "Thank goodness you're awake," Hinata hums in reply, and leans towards him so she can press her cheek against his hand.

"I'll get you some water." Neji leaves Hinata's side to fetch her a glass of cold water, leaving the sisters by themselves.

Hanabi's head lies facedown on the bed, her long mahogany tresses splayed out, contrasting with the white of the bed cover. She made no indication that she was aware that her elder sister is awake; her hands are still and slack in holding onto Hinata's right hand. Hinata brings her free hand on top of Hanabi's head, causing the younger Hyuuga to look up, eyes bearing remorse with the trace of unshed tears.

"I'm sorry, Neesan."

Hinata shakes her head with a small smile. Her voice is raspy as she speaks, "There is nothing to forgive."

Neji comes in with a pitcher and a glass filled with cold water. He puts it down on the side table so he can help prop up Hinata on the bed. He retrieves the glass of water and brings it close to Hinata's lips, helping her take a few refreshing gulps.

Meanwhile, Hanabi has decided to make herself useful. Spotting the basin of water next to the bed, she took the small towel submerged in the water, wringing it before placing the cold damp cloth over her sister's forehead to help ease the pain and swelling. The cooling sensation on Hinata's forehead makes her sigh in relief. In a few minutes, she's asleep again, but this time in a more revitalized and relaxed state.

Hinata is bedridden for a few days, as expected of anyone who has received the cursed seal. During this time, Hanabi is barely at the Main house since she spends most of her time with Hinata as she recuperates.

"Father should've been the one to do it," Hinata murmurs as she lays a comforting hand on top of her sister's head, softly caressing the brown tresses similar to Neji's. "You shouldn't have been the one to go through it."

Indeed. The truth was, Hiashi could not summon the strength to seal any of his daughters. He had adamantly refused to do the ceremony, and only the Head and his successor was trained and allowed to carry out the task. So it had befallen on Hanabi, who had to learn the jutsu in a week, not knowing that she was to be sealing her own sister.

When the day came for Hinata's sealing, Hiashi locked himself away in his own quarters. He refused to see anyone. It was a week before he left his own house. He had yet to see Hinata and Neji. He could not bear to see his eldest with the green marking on her forehead, not even with bandages covering it. He would not, could not, look at her, not because he was ashamed of her, but because he felt he had failed her as a father to protect her from such a fate of suffering and subjugation. Hiashi felt as if he had done even his twin brother a disservice by being unable to prevent the sealing of one of his daughters.

Due to the event of Hinata's demotion to the branch family, Hanabi bore a grudge against Hiashi. Hinata beseeched her to forgive their father, but in the end, Neji was the one to sway Hanabi into letting go of the forming grudge.

"He has only you with him in the house now," Hinata said as she brushed Hanabi's hair, as she was wont to do during afternoons on the weekend whenever the two sisters were at home. "You shouldn't begrudge Father for not being able to bear to see me now. " Hinata's tone was tinged with sadness. "I miss Father. You'll keep me up to date with how he is, won't you, Hanabi-chan?"

"Fine, I will. But don't expect me to be all warm and accommodating with him."

Hinata put down the brush and put her hands on her younger sister's shoulders to turn her around so they would be face-to-face. "I won't let this seal destroy our family, do you hear me?"

Hanabi was wide-eyed as she regarded her sister's stern expression. Ever the gentle person, Hinata had never looked that way before, not even on the eve of battle, not even when facing her enemies. "Y-yes, Neesan. I understand."

Hinata let out a deep breath, and her expression eased. She made Hanabi turn around again and resumed brushing the silky brown locks of her sister.

Later that same day, while Hinata is preparing dinner in the kitchen, Neji speaks to his younger cousin as they are alone together in the dining room. "Is Hiashi-sama not expecting you for dinner again?"

Hanabi raises an eyebrow at her brother-in-law. They barely speak to each other, so this is quite a surprise. She thinks maybe he's making an effort to reach out to her now since she's become a regular presence in their household. "I wouldn't know. The only thing I'm sure of is that _I_ will not be looking forward to eating alone with Father anytime soon."

Neji regards Hanabi with a slight frown of concern. "It would do you well not to let hate blind you. Don't you think your anger is misdirected, Hanabi-sama?"

Hanabi flinches at the formality of the suffix, remembering her place and the unfair sacrifice that had been made for her to reach it.

"This was not Hiashi-sama's will. It is senseless to blame him for something he did not instigate." Neji looked away to stare at his hands upon the table, becoming lost in contemplation.

"Do you think you are the only one suffering in this?"

Hanabi's eyes widened, as if the eyes of her heart finally recognized that her father was likely suffering from guilt and self-blame as well.

"Believe me, Hanabi-sama. I know. Bearing such unreasonable hate will only hurt you the most in the end."

This is the first time that Hanabi and Neji have had such a personal conversation. She had never really cared much to get to know him before, much less interact with him; back then she only knew that he bore such a destructive resentment against her mild-mannered, softhearted, timid sister that he had attempted to kill her. Hanabi had thought this was due to jealousy, because gentle and bashful Hinata would be the leader of the clan by birthright while someone brilliant and capable like Neji was born to be mere servants. At least, that was how Hanabi had seen everything. Indeed, she never called him Niisan like her older sister did for he was a stranger to her, no different from a distant relative she had only vaguely heard of and rarely interacted with personally.

Everything changed after the Chuunin exams with the truth of the Hyuuga affair coming to light. The truth had set Neji free from the confines of his bitter cynicism and vitriolic hatred, and he resolved to repent and atone for the undeserved cruelty that he had subjected Hinata to for years. That event had also caused Hanabi to regard her estranged first cousin in a new light; she understood that both Hinata and Neji suffered from the stigma of the caged bird seal and the apartheid that existed between Main and Branch. Hanabi could say that she had a firsthand account of how the Hyuuga clan's caste system just wasn't working. That realization had shifted Hanabi's entire worldview; it had allowed her to sympathize with Hinata and create a familial bond with her, but Hanabi hadn't extended the same to Neji, though with her position as second daughter, he would have been the one that she could relate to.

"Keep this in mind, Hanabi-sama," Neji continued, "Hinata would be deeply hurt if she were the reason that your relationship with Hiashi-sama is strained."

Hanabi guiltily frowned as she darted her eyes to the side.

"You wouldn't want that burden on Hinata's conscience, would you, Hanabi-sama?"

Hanabi narrowed her pallid eyes at Neji. She recognized his emotional manipulation, and though she recognized it for what it was, she would be loath to admit that she could not fight against it.

Hinata enters the dining room at that moment, bringing a dish of tempura. The three have their dinner in peace. Hanabi and Neji make no more mention of their conversation.

The following night, Hanabi eats dinner with her father. Neji had sent her a note, stating that he is taking Hinata out to dinner at a fancy restaurant, _just the two of them_. A subtle way of making sure that she does not delay the inevitable meeting with her father.

Hanabi notices that their father's eyes have are sunken with dark lines underneath. All thoughts of anger fly away, because once Hanabi laid eyes on Hiashi for the first time since Hinata's sealing. Hanabi sees that Hiashi is suffering more than she is. Hanabi begins to feel sorry for him, and she is ashamed that she had harbored ill will against her father when he himself already nursed such deep self-loathing.

"You have gone to see Hinata and Neji recently?" Were the first words uttered during that dinner.

"Yes, Father. I've been visiting them frequently." Hanabi continues to eat her sukiyaki. "They are doing well in their new home."

A tiny spark seems to have ignited in Hiashi's dull eyes. "That's good to hear. And how… how is Hinata?"

This time, Hanabi lifts her head to lock eyes with her father. She offers a small smile of consolation. "She's happy as she can be. Perhaps even happier now in her new life with Neji. We don't have to worry about her, Father. Not with Neji by her side."

Closing his eyes, Hiashi lets out a deep sigh of relief. "That is good to hear," Hanabi notes how her father slightly smiles, lighting up his troubled features and chasing away the shadows of remorse on his face as a sort of peace washes over him. "That is good to hear."

The air in the dining room lightens, as if the tension and unease floating around earlier had dissipated. Silence doesn't last long as Hanabi tells her father about aspects of Hinata's new life: what her and Neji's house looks like, how Hinata's cooking tastes, how Hinata and Neji interact now, how it's like to eat dinner with the newlyweds at their home.

On that night, Hanabi takes it upon herself to be the bridge for her estranged father and elder sister.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Author's notes:**_ Should I be concerned with the absolutely low number of reviews for this fic? =_= Are there NejiHina fans still out there reading NejiHina fics? O,O Just a bit disappointed with the low number of reviews I've gotten. I can accept it if this was a one-shot, but… oh well. Here's an update. ~,~

**[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[ ~ }{ ~ ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]**

_Have you decided it's_

_Safer in cages,_

_Singing when you're told?_

**[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[ ~ }{ ~ ]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]**

Everyone in the Hyuuga clan has taken note of how Hanabi spends more time at the Branch family's side of the estate. Upon returning from her missions, her first destination is always her sister's house, where she prefers to get her medical treatment. And even after that, she'll stay there just to keep her sister company, keeping up their custom from before.

The Elders do not like this unexpected turnabout of events. They had not known that Hanabi had an attachment to her elder sister. They had thought that sibling rivalry would break the familial bond between them, that fear of the seal would come between them, that the claim to ascension as the next Head of the Hyuuga would be the rift between them.

Alas, for all the 360 degrees field of vision of the all-seeing Byakugan, it cannot foresee the future nor accurately predict it. They had not known the real nature of the sisters' bond, nor the real depth of their father's love for both of them, hidden as it was from sight and sense of outsiders.

Ah, but the wheels of fate have been set in motion, like creaking gears of an unoiled machine. And it is turning against the flow that the Elders want it to go. It is the price they pay for miscalculation and assumption.

If the Elders had thought to preserve and protect the status quo of the Hyuuga clan by casting aside the real heir, Hinata, and propping up Hanabi to the post, then they were wrong. It was clear that whichever daughter would succeed Hiashi, change would be enacted, the kind of change that would break the discrimination and oppression present within their clan.

They cannot do anything to prevent Hanabi from visiting her sister without being apparent in their intentions of separating the two. They also cannot concoct any scheme or plot to drive a wedge between the sisters. If they are caught, they can be banished and tried for treason against the clan. Not only will they be banished, but they will also be sealed. The Elders admit defeat, and retreat. They take consolation in the fact that at least they have caged Hinata.

But what the Elders do not realize is that, though they have managed to cage Hinata, her will and her wishes for change within the clan has been passed on to the next generation heiress.

The tide of change is coming to the Hyuuga, and none can stop it. Some fated events are inevitable.

Even though Hinata has been disinherited and branded while Hanabi has risen from second daughter to the next head, jealousy has never had a hold on Hinata. She has only ever been happy with the success of others. Knowing Hanabi's admirable traits, Hinata has faith that her sister will be a great leader. She has no hard feelings towards the younger sister, the second daughter, who has ousted her from her position in the family. Hinata knows Hanabi will do right by the Hyuuga. She is not worried for the future of their family.

Perhaps that enduring trust in a promising future is why not even Hinata's sealing can dampen her newfound happiness as a new bride and wife. When her forehead heals and she is back in commission, Hinata goes through her life just as she had before. Except now, she goes home to her husband in their own dainty cottage in the Hyuuga compound. She shares her bed now and nights become heated with passion and desire that she had never experienced before.

It's ironic, Hinata shares with Neji as they lay in bed, that she feels _freer_ now. As if the seal has somehow _liberated_ her in some way, rather than trapping her. Even with the loss of her status and all of the perks that came with it, she is still content with what she has left. Even more, she is grateful with what she has gained since then.

Hinata even admits to Neji, that she feels she has gained more from her sealing. She finds that being relegated to the Branch family does not bother her. She's optimistic about her future with Neji, and the future of the Hyuuga family as a whole.

"Our love, our bond, is greater than this seal," Hinata answers Hanabi, when the younger one asks how she is able to go on with life with the easy breeze of smiles and happiness after such a traumatic ordeal. Hanabi's hand is covered by her sister's, and the younger one feels a reassuring squeeze. "This seal holds no power over us."

Neji knows that Hinata is not only referring to him and her, but the sisters as well.


End file.
